Dark Promises 5: Tarnished

by Elisa Adams

  “I want to come.”

  A sensual smile tilted the corners of his lips. “A little greedy, aren’t we?”

  “I have to be greedy right now.” Because she needed this one last time. Needed something to remember him by. And something to remind herself of why she shouldn’t get involved with vampires.

  They always lied, and always left her alone. Tony had. Wil was about to. And even Kel, a man she could easily consider her best friend, had cut her out of his life. A tear formed in the corner of her eye, but she batted it away. No sense getting upset over something she’d known would happen all along. She was done with vampires. In every way. The pleasure wasn’t worth the ending pain. So she’d take what she could get from Wil now, before he decided to walk out of her life. And he would. They all did. It was just a matter of time.

  He leaned in again, spreading her lips with his thumbs, and lapped her pussy from her clit to her cunt. He dipped his tongue inside, stroking in and out the way his finger had been moments before. She arched into his touch, her hands clenching the sheets tighter, her eyes squeezing shut. If he kept it up, she was going to come again. Two orgasms in the span of a few minutes…she couldn’t take it. Her body would probably break down from the pleasure.

  He placed little love bites along her pussy lips in between strokes of his tongue inside her, and swirls of it over her clit. Her own moisture drenching her even more, along with the wet heat from Wil’s tongue. He stroked and pressed along her clit, bringing her closer and closer to release again. Her body bowed, strung tight, every nerve along her skin sizzling with tension. Short, breathy moans escaped her lips. She brought her hands down and cupped them on his head, threading them through the silky waves of his hair. His tongue felt like wet silk gliding over her skin, lapping at her juices.

  Her body finally unable to take any more, she exploded in orgasm. Her vision grayed, her extremities tingling and for a harrowing second she thought she might pass out. She may have, couldn’t be sure, when he sank his fangs into her labia. The sharp, stinging pain in contrast with the ultimate pleasure racing through her body sent her into another orgasm right on the tail of the one before it. She rocked against him, moaning and screaming and having trouble drawing breath. And when she finally came down, he was there at her side again, holding her close and whispering words of encouragement.

  “Be right back,” he said softly. He stood up long enough to strip out of his clothes and then he was there again, between her legs, stroking his cock into her pussy before she even had a chance to recover from her last orgasm. He thrust in and out, hard and fast as she’d first wanted it, but now she was too far gone to even care much beyond the fact that he kept moving. He held her close, calling her name as he came inside her and filled her with hot jets of his semen. And when he finally rolled off her, she could do nothing more than fall asleep in his arms.

  Chapter Eight

  Wil climbed out of bed, careful not to wake Becca. He dressed quickly, gave her a brief but meaningful kiss on the cheek, and left the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. The soft click echoed somewhere inside his chest. He fought the urge to go back to her as he went into the living room and sat on the couch to put his boots back on. The whole time a small part of him hoped she’d wake up. She didn’t, though. It served him right for acting the way he did. He didn’t deserve her. He took one more look around her house before he grabbed his keys and left.

  His heart clenched at the act of leaving her, especially when he hadn’t had a chance to say goodbye. At least not in words. But it was better this way, and they both knew it. Had known it the night before, when they’d made love. And that was exactly what it had been, though he’d never admit it aloud to anyone. If he’d stuck around any longer, he would have fallen hard for Becca. So it was best for both of them if he left in the dead of night, like she would expect someone of his kind to do. They had nothing in common past the intense sexual chemistry they shared. She didn’t even like his kind, and he’d vowed long ago not to get deeply involved with another human woman. Ever. So nothing between them would work. Still, he couldn’t help the dull ache that formed in his chest.

  She deserved so much more than he could ever give her. Now that she was going home to her family, and hopefully starting a new life, she’d find all she was looking for.

  Becca’s future didn’t include him.

  She’d made that clear when she asked him to find Kel and watch out for him. Yes, she wanted to make sure her friend was safe, but her plea held a deeper meaning. She wanted Wil out of her life. Seeing his own life going down the drain if he got any deeper with her, he was all too happy to oblige. And completely miserable at the thought of walking away.

  With a heaved sigh, he unlocked his car door and slid behind the wheel. He turned the key in the ignition and backed out of her driveway. Once on the road, he made a snap decision to push her out of his mind and focus on the present. There were two problems that needed taking care of. The first one was Kel. The second, Rex. And given the recent revelation about Becca’s friend, he had a strange suspicion he might find both men in one place.

  Ten minutes later he walked through the front door of Rex’s bar. The grating music and stench of alcohol hit harder than usual, churning his gut and making his head pound. The dim lighting would make it easier for a vampire to hide, but Wil could see just fine in the dark, and he knew where to look. He glanced around and it didn’t take him long to spot the man he was looking for.

  Kel sat at the end of the bar, hunched over, a glass of something dark in front of him. The tension in the young vampire’s body was evident, even from a distance. Maybe Becca had been right. Maybe there was a reason to worry. Wil walked over to where he sat and slid onto the stool next to him.

  “Becca said you told her you’re fine.”

  Kel slid a sidelong glance at Wil, his eyes narrowed and his jaw tight. “I am fine. This is wonderful. Just what I fucking needed in the middle of everything else. Don’t you people know when to leave well enough alone?”

  “Sorry, no.” Wil gestured to the woman tending bar, a small, petite blonde he recognized as Shannon. “I’ll have the same thing he’s having.”

  He had no need to feed, having drunk his fill from Becca in the past few days, but a little bonding seemed to be in order. What better way for two vampires to bond than over a cocktail made up of ninety percent blood?

  Shannon nodded and went to work pouring him a glass. When she sat it in front of him, Kel got up to leave. Wil stopped him with a hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “Sit for a second. I want to talk to you.”

  “I don’t feel much like talking right now.”

  “Too bad.” Wil brought the glass to his lips and took a sip. Ah, heaven. Not as good as Becca’s blood, but a close second. It was enough to keep any vampire alive for long periods of time—but it was also very expensive. Maybe that was why Kel continued with vampire hunting. To finance his habit of sorts.

  He turned to Kel. “How long have you been drinking this stuff?”

  “Since I realized I needed it.” Kel downed the rest of his glass in one gulp, set the crystal down on the bar with a clatter and called for another. He scooped it up as soon as Shannon set it in front of him and drained half the glass. “This is hell, you know? Why does it have to be this way?”

  “There’s no shame in being a vampire.”

  “You said you know my father.”

  “We’ve met a few times.”

  Kel shook his head. “Then you understand my shame. I don’t know how to be any different. My mother drilled it into my head that I was human. Didn’t even explain to me what my father was until the urges started to overwhelm me.” He let out a rough bark of laughter. “She told me the reason she home-schooled me was because I was allergic to so much. Allergic to the sun, allergic to so many different types of food. She lied to me, and I bought it until I got old enough to wonder why I had fucking fangs. And my father wasn’t there through any of it.”


  “You don’t have to be like him.”

  “I never had a father around, so I can’t be sure. What if I turn out exactly like him? My mother told me he killed his donors a few times. That he scared her.”

  Wil cursed Lela under his breath. She’d been so worried about convincing her son that he was a normal human boy that she hadn’t allowed him the education he needed to survive. Kel was paying for her mistakes now. “I can’t say that I’ve never hurt anyone I shouldn’t have. But that was a long, long time ago. The same with your father. He might have killed before, but he doesn’t kill now. And you won’t either. Don’t let what your father was shape who you are right now. Your mother was a special woman, even though she tried to convince you you’re not who you really are. You have a lot of potential. And the hunger is stronger than you’ll let yourself believe if you’ve been in here drinking blood cocktails. How many years have you been doing this to yourself?”

  “Up until the last few years, I could control it. But then it got worse. I heard about places like this, and I researched them, found the ones near wherever I was staying. It’s been a help.”

  “But it’s hell hiding the secret, especially from people you care about.”

  “Yeah. Like Becca. She’s been there for me, and I couldn’t tell her any of it. She wouldn’t have understood. Working with her has been tough, trying to sneak out whenever I could. And then she started working here, and I couldn’t deal with it anymore.”

  “She understands now. At least on some level.” What was he doing, pushing Kel toward Becca again? If he had any sense, he’d be trying to keep them apart. They might be friends now, but who knew what would happen a few years down the road. Wil wanted her all to himself. But he’d made a promise to her and he wouldn’t break that. “She asked me to make sure you’re okay.”

  “Why didn’t she just come herself?” Kel took another big gulp of his drink. “She’s so in my face about stuff like that. Sometimes she’s like a pit bull. She latches on and won’t give up. I almost confessed to her so many times, but then I remembered how she really feels about vampires. She thinks they’re all scum. It took a lot of training just to get her to accept that we only got rid of the bad guys.”

  A pit bull? Wil had to laugh at the apt description. “She’s going home.”

  Kel’s head shot up and he swung his gaze in Wil’s direction. Worry and disbelief warred in his expression. “When?”

  Wil shrugged, tried to keep the irritation and hurt out of his eyes. “Whenever she wakes up, I’d guess.”

  “Without even saying goodbye?”

  “Would you have wanted to listen to her if she came to find you?”

  Kel closed his eyes for a brief second, his lips so tight they’d whitened around the edges. When his eyes opened, he shook his head. “I don’t even know. I’d like to say yes, but I can’t. Everything is such a mess right now. I don’t even want to deal with this.”

  “But you have to. It’s a part of who you are, and you need to get over your fears and learn to accept it.”

  “I have no fears.”

  “You do, and I understand that. But there’s nothing to be afraid of. Vampire life has benefits as well as drawbacks. You’re already extremely sensitive to sunlight. Already craving the blood you need to survive.”

  Kel hesitated, then nodded. His hands tightened so hard around his glass his knuckles turned white. Wil understood all too well what he was going through. For years he’d lived with the same things. It had taken him a long time to learn to accept them. He hadn’t had anyone to help him fully understand what he was capable of.

  The need to be there for Kel took him by surprise. When had he gone from caring about no one to caring about everyone who crossed his path? First Ellie and her predicament, then Becca, and now Becca’s friend, a man he should see as a rival. But he didn’t. Kel needed someone to help him through what might be the toughest time of his life. Becca had asked Wil to be that person, and he’d do it. He’d do it for her, since he couldn’t offer her anything more.

  “And your fangs come out at the most inopportune times,” he continued, pushing all thoughts of Becca out of his mind. Again.

  Kel said nothing, but he didn’t deny it, either.

  “You’ll learn to hide them.” Wil smiled. “And you’ll learn when to use them to give a woman the most possible pleasure.”

  Kel’s expression finally opened up and he laughed. But soon the laughter was gone, replaced with uncertainty. “I’ve never fed from anyone before. It’s just been blood bags or blood bars. I don’t think I could actually bite someone.”

  The kid didn’t know what he was missing. “Blood bags are fast food compared to having a live donor. A live donor is like a four course meal in a gourmet restaurant. You’ve never had sex like you would when you feed. For vampires, feeding is part of the sexual experience. Blood and sex. It’s all tied in together. Trust me. It’ll be worth it.”

  Kel shook his head. “I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

  “You won’t. You have good instincts to do the job you do and not hurt innocents. And apparently you have iron-clad control if you’ve been able to survive this long the way you’ve been living. It’s expensive, sitting around here drinking all night, isn’t it?”

  Kel nodded, his eyes downcast.

  “And blood bags are even more expensive, unless you steal them. Have you been buying them?”

  “Sometimes.” He kept his gaze trained on the bar. His shoulders sagged a little more with each breath. “Dealers aren’t easy to come by. Sometimes it’s easier to break into a place and take them.”

  He didn’t sound happy with the lengths he’d had to go to, and Wil didn’t blame him. It was a tough life, the life Kel had chosen for himself. And Wil knew just the thing to make him feel better. At least for the time being. He needed a woman to show him the pleasure he could find, the pleasure he could give her. A human, someone gentle rather than demanding. Someone who understood what a vampire needed and didn’t mind giving it all.

  Celia, the pretty redheaded waitress he’d often used the services of, walked by and winked at him. He smiled back, the idea cementing in his head. He turned to Kel. “Sit tight. I’ll be right back.”

  He walked over to the table Celia was cleaning and propped his hip against it. “Hey.”

  “Hey Wil.” She gave him a killer smile, one that would have turned him inside out before he’d met Becca. Now it didn’t even stir his gut. “You need a live meal rather than that swill you’ve been drinking?”

  He shook his head. “Not me. The man I was talking to.”

  “Kel. He’s a friend of Becca’s, isn’t he?”

  “Right.” Her friend. He fumed inside, but pushed the thoughts away. “He’s a little less than accepting of his true nature. He’s never had a donor before. Can you help him out?”

  Her smile widened. “Sure. No problem.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Are you going to be in town long?” She rested her hand on his arm, stopping him when he would have walked away.

  “Nah. I’m leaving sometime tonight.”

  “Give me a call the next time you’re around.”

  “Sure,” he agreed, though he had no intentions of calling her again. Hell, he had no intentions of returning to Ardon after tonight. With Becca gone and Rex soon to be out of the picture, there would be no need. And Celia…she’d been fun while it had lasted, but it had meant nothing to either one of them. Now things had changed inside him and he couldn’t see bothering with one-night stands. The only woman he wanted, the only one he’d want for a long time to come was Becca. Too bad she didn’t want him the same way he wanted her. He’d been someone to pass the time. But to him, she’d always have a special place in his heart. Though they’d have to torture him to get him to admit that aloud.

  He watched Celia go over to talk to Kel, who smiled in return to her flirtations. She planted a kiss right on Kel’s lips before Wil wandered in their direction. Ke
l glanced up at him as he handed the bartender a fifty to cover the expensive cocktail he’d barely touched.

  “I’ll see you around,” Wil said to Kel.

  “You going with Becca?” Kel asked.

  “No. She doesn’t want me there. I’ve got to respect that. I’ll be in touch.” With that, he turned and walked toward the back of the bar.

  He slipped into the kitchen area and asked one of the employees if she’d seen Rex. She directed him to the back area of the bar, toward Rex’s small office.

  Wil stormed in through the office door and found Rex sitting on a chair in the corner of the room, a small brunette woman on her knees in front of him. Rex pushed her away, stood and tucked his stubby cock into his pants. “Wil. What a surprise.”

  The woman, naked except for a pair of red silk panties, crawled into the chair and wrapped her arms around her bent knees. Her eyes had widened to an almost unnatural size, her swollen lips parted and her breath ragged and noisy. Wil turned away from her, dismissing her as unimportant. She was no threat to him.

  Neither was Rex. “A surprise to see me alive, I’m sure.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Rex frowned and pursed his lips, but the flash of fear in his eyes gave him away.

  “Don’t play games with me, Rex.” Wil edged toward him, his hands clenched into fists in front of him. Rex backed up a step. “Becca told me you hired her to kill me.”

  Rex muttered a curse under his breath. “She must have misunderstood me. When I asked her to take care of you, I meant sex. Like we’d agreed upon when we made our deal the other night. That’s all I said. I wasn’t any more specific than that, and I certainly never told her I wanted you dead. But I guess I wasn’t clear enough for her. She must have thought I meant murder instead of sex.”

  Wil shook his head. Rex couldn’t lie worth a damn. The man was so inept it was almost pathetic. “No, she didn’t misunderstand. She tried to do exactly what you wanted her to. Obviously she didn’t succeed.”